Georgia DOT to begin widening I-85

Construction on the first of 11 major road projects paid for by the Georgia Transportation Funding Act of 2015 is about to begin.

On Wednesday state officials will break ground on the widening of I-85 from I-985 in Gwinnett County to Ga. 53 in Jackson County. The state plans to add one lane in each direction in the existing median. The $114.8 million project also includes three new overpasses.

Gov. Nathan Deal and other state officials will mark the beginning of the project at a ceremony Wednesday afternoon. Construction is expected to be completed by fall 2020.

It’s the first of 11 projects paid for by the 2015 law that raised $10 billion for Georgia road and bridge construction over 10 years. Deal unveiled the project list – known as the Major Mobility Investment Program – in 2016.

Other Atlanta-area projects include new express lanes on Ga. 400 and along the top half of the Perimeter, new I-285 interchanges at I-20 east and west of Atlanta and commercial vehicle lanes on I-75 from Macon to McDonough.